The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity is an annual international

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotiona ...

award recognizing individuals for humanitarian work. It is awarded on behalf of the survivors of the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...

. The Aurora Prize ceremonies have taken place annually in

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ...

since April 24, 2016. The laureate of the prize receives $1,000,000.

History

The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative was founded by

Noubar Afeyan Noubar Afeyan (Western hy, Նուպար Աֆէեան; born in 1962) is an American-Canadian entrepreneur, inventor, and philanthropist. He is best known for co-founding the biotechnology company Moderna, through his venture capital firm, Flagsh ...

Vartan Gregorian Vartan Gregorian; fa, وارتان گرگوریان (April 8, 1934 – April 15, 2021) was an Armenian-American academic, educator, and historian. He served as president of the Carnegie Corporation from 1997 to 2021. An Armenian born in Ir ...

, and Ruben Vardanyan.

Tom Catena Thomas Gerard Catena is an American physician who has been practising in Gidel in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan since 2008. On May 28, 2017, he was awarded the second annual Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, receiving a $100,000 grant and an ...

is inaugural chair of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative. The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity is one of the projects of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative. It was officially announced at 100 LIVES launch event in New York on March 10, 2015. The creation of the Aurora Prize was inspired by many stories of the rescue of

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, '' hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

during the Armenian genocide. The prize is named after

Aurora Mardiganian Aurora (Arshaluys) Mardiganian ( hy, Աուրորա �րշալոյսՄարտիկանեան; January 12, 1901 – February 6, 1994) was an Armenian-American author, actress, and a survivor of the Armenian genocide. Biography Aurora Mardiganian w ...

, a survivor of the Armenian genocide and the author of the book ''

Ravished Armenia ''Ravished Armenia'' (full title: ''Ravished Armenia: The Story of Aurora Mardiganian, the Christian Girl, Who Survived the Great Massacres'') is a book written in 1918 by Arshaluys (Aurora) Mardiganian about her experiences in the Armenian gen ...

''. The Aurora Humanitarian Index is an international opinion poll that measures attitudes about humanitarian issues and the impact of humanitarian intervention. The inaugural 2016 Aurora Dialogues were held on April 23, 2016, in

Matenadaran The Matenadaran ( hy, Մատենադարան), officially the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, is a museum, repository of manuscripts, and a research institute in Yerevan, Armenia. It is the world's largest repository of Armenian ...

, Yerevan. Participants included Hina Jilani, Shirin Ebadi and Gareth Evans. 2017 Aurora Dialogues took place on May 27–28 in Armenia and on December 4–5 in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. In 2018, Aurora Dialogues were held in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

(in March and September),

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and ...

and

. 2019 Aurora Dialogues took place in Armenia on October 17–21, 2019, during the inaugural Aurora Forum. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Aurora Dialogues were online in 2020. Some of the Aurora Dialogues events were online in 2021.

Aurora Prize

Nominations are solicited from humanitarian organizations and the public. The members of the Expert Panel assess all eligible nominations according to the Aurora Prize selection criteria to narrow the overall list to 20-25 nominees for the Selection Committee's attention. This panel is composed of humanitarian professionals and leaders of humanitarian organizations. The selection of finalists and the Aurora Prize laureate is made by the independent Aurora Prize Selection Committee.

2016 Aurora Prize

Selection Committee Inaugural Selection Committee of the prize included the late

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...

laureate

Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel (, born Eliezer Wiesel ''Eliezer Vizel''; September 30, 1928 – July 2, 2016) was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored 57 books, written mostly in Fr ...

, as well as

Óscar Arias Óscar Arias Sánchez (; born 13 September 1940 in Heredia, Costa Rica) is a Costa Rican activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He was President of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2010. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 198 ...

Shirin Ebadi Shirin Ebadi ( fa, شيرين عبادى, Širin Ebādi; born 21 June 1947) is an Iranian political activist, lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi wa ...

and

Leymah Gbowee Leymah Roberta Gbowee (born 1 February 1972) is a Liberian peace activist responsible for leading a women's nonviolent peace movement, Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace that helped bring an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. Her ...

, former president of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson ( ga, Máire Mhic Róibín; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who was the 7th president of Ireland, serving from December 1990 to September 1997, the first woman to hold this office. Prior to her elect ...

, human rights activist

Hina Jilani Hina Jilani ( ur, حنا جیلانی ؛ born 19 December 1953) is an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a human-rights activist from Lahore in Punjab. She is the founder of Pakistan’s first all-women law firm, Pakistan’s fir ...

, former Australian foreign minister and president emeritus of the

International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a transnational non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, performing research and analysis on globa ...

Gareth Evans, president of the

Carnegie Corporation of New York The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...

Vartan Gregorian, activist John Prendergast and

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

-winning actor and humanitarian

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...

. Finalists * Dr.

Marguerite Barankitse Marguerite (Maggie) Barankitse (born in 1957 in Ruyigi, Ruyigi province, Burundi) is a Burundian humanitarian activist who works to improve the welfare of children and challenge ethnic discrimination in Burundi. After rescuing 25 children from a ...

* Syeda Ghulam Fatima * Father

Bernard Kinvi Bernard Kinvi, O.S.Cam is a Togolese Catholic priest and a member of the Order of Saint Camillus. He is the head of a Catholic mission in Bossemptélé in the Central African Republic. He was awarded the Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary ...

Ceremony The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity inaugural ceremony was held on April 24, 2016, in Yerevan at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex. The ceremony was hosted by an Armenian opera diva Hasmik Papian and American journalist and novelist

David Ignatius David Reynolds Ignatius (born May 26, 1950) is an American journalist and novelist. He is an associate editor and columnist for ''The Washington Post''. He has written eleven novels, including '' Body of Lies'', which director Ridley Scott adap ...

. The ceremony was opened by an animated film directed by Eric Nazarian featuring Serj Tankian's"Aurora's Dream" as the soundtrack. Each of the finalists was introduced with a documentary mini-film directed by Andrey Loshak. The live music during the ceremony was performed by

State Youth Orchestra of Armenia Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan ( hy, Երևանի Կոմիտասի անվան պետական կոնսերվատորիա), also known as Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory (YKSC) or Yerevan State Conservatory (YSC), is a state-owned colleg ...

conducted by Sergey Smbatyan. The fanfares of the ceremony was composed by

Stepan Shakaryan Stepan Grigori Shakaryan ( hy, Ստեփան Շաքարյան, 23 October 1935 – 22 June 2019) was an Armenian jazz and classical composer, pianist, People's Artist of Armenia (2017), and professor at Yerevan State Conservatory. Biography St ...

. The statuette, created by

Manvel Matevosyan Manvel may refer to: * Manvel, North Dakota, a city in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States * Manvel, Texas, a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States ** Manvel High School * Allen Manvel (1837–1893), American politician * Manve ...

was presented with an excerpt from ''Two Suns'', a ballet by the Ballet2021 Foundation dance troupe (choreographer

Rudolf Kharatyan Roudolf Kharatian ( hy, Ռուդոլֆ Խառատյան, born April 1, 1947, in Yerevan) is an Armenian ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, director and painter. He is a People's Artist of Armenia (2012). He is the Principal Choreographer and Ar ...

), accompanied by Avet Terteryan's and Arno Babajanyan's music. The State Youth Orchestra of Armenia performed an excerpt from

Aram Khachaturyan Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; rus, Арам Ильич Хачатурян, , ɐˈram ɨˈlʲjitɕ xətɕɪtʊˈrʲan, Ru-Aram Ilyich Khachaturian.ogg; hy, Արամ Խաչատրյան, ''Aram Xačʿatryan''; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet Union, Sovie ...

's Symphony No. 2 (Bell Symphony). The co-hostess, soprano Hasmik Papian performed Barsegh Kanachyan's "Lullaby". The ceremony was concluded with the song "

Pour toi, Arménie Pour may refer to these people: * Kour Pour (born 1987), British artist of part-Iranian descent * Mehdi Niyayesh Pour (born 1992), Iranian footballer * Mojtaba Mobini Pour (born 1991), Iranian footballer * Pouya Jalili Pour (born 1976), Irania ...

" (For you, Armenia) performed by

Gevorg Hakobyan Gevorg ( hy, Գևորգ), also spelled Gevork and pronounced and transliterated as Kevork in Western Armenian, is the Armenian version of the name George. Bearers include: ;Gevorg *Gevorg Bashinjaghian (1857–1925), painter *Gevorg Emin (1918� ...

and the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia. Laureate The inaugural Aurora Prize was awarded to

from Burundi. Barankitse chose Fondation Jean-Francois Peterbroeck, Foundation du Grand-Duc et de la Grande-Duchesse, Bridderlech Deelen to receive $1 million awards as part of the prize package. The statuette of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was created by Manvel Matevosyan and is called ''Towards Eternity''.

2017 Aurora Prize

Selection Committee The members of Selection Committee of 2017 Aurora Prize are George Clooney (co-chair), Vartan Gregorian, Oscar Arias, Shirin Ebadi, Gareth Evans, Leymah Gbowee, Hina Jilani, Mary Robinson and

Ernesto Zedillo Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (; born 27 December 1951) is a Mexican economist and politician. He was 61st president of Mexico from 1 December 1994 to 30 November 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from t ...

. Finalists The nominations for 2017 Aurora Prize were opened on June 1 and the finalists were: * Ms.

Fartuun Adan Fartuun Abdisalaan Adan ( so, Fartuun Aadan, ar, فارتون آدن) is a Somali social activist. She is the Executive Director of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre. Personal life Adan grew up in Somalia. She was married to Elman Ali A ...

and Ms.

Ilwad Elman Ilwad Elman ( so, Ilwaad Elman) is a Somali- Canadian social activist. She works at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center in Mogadishu alongside her mother Fartuun Adan, the NGO's founder. She was voted the African Young Personality (Femal ...

* Ms.

Jamila Afghani Jamila Afghani ( fa, جمیله افغانی; born 1976 in Kabul) is a feminist and an activist for women's rights and education in Afghanistan. She is the founder and executive director of the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organizati ...

* Dr.

* Mr.

Muhammad Darwish Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...

* Dr.

Denis Mukwege Denis Mukwege (; born 1 March 1955) is a Congolese gynecologist and Pentecostal pastor. He founded and works in Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, where he specializes in the treatment of women who have been raped by armed rebels. In 2018, Mukwege and I ...

Aurora Prize.
2017 finalists. Laureate The 2017 Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was awarded to Dr.

2018 Aurora Prize

Selection Committee The members of Selection Committee of 2018 Aurora Prize are George Clooney (co-chair), Vartan Gregorian, Oscar Arias, Shirin Ebadi, Gareth Evans, Leymah Gbowee, Hina Jilani, Mary Robinson,

, Lord Ara Darzi,

Bernard Kouchner Bernard Kouchner KBE (born 1 November 1939) is a French politician and doctor. He is the co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Médecins du Monde. From 2007 until 2010, he was the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs ...

and

Samantha Power Samantha Jane Power (born September 21, 1970) is an American journalist, diplomat and government official who is currently serving as the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. She previously served as the 28th ...

. Finalists * Mr. Kyaw Hla Aung (1941-2021) * Fr. Héctor Tomás González Castillo * Mrs. Sunitha Krishnan Laureate The 2018 Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was awarded to Mr.

Kyaw Hla Aung U Kyaw Hla Aung (16 August 1940 – 1 August 2021) was a Burmese lawyer and civil rights activist and member of the Rohingya community. Early life Kyaw Hla Aung was born in Sittwe, capital of Rakhine State, Burma, British Raj, as the son ...

2019 Aurora Prize

Selection Committee The members of Selection Committee of 2019 Aurora Prize are Oscar Arias, Shirin Ebadi,

, Gareth Evans, Ernesto Zedillo, Bernard Kouchner, Samantha Power, John Prendergast,

Valery Gergiev Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (russian: Вале́рий Абиса́лович Ге́ргиев, ; os, Гергиты Абисалы фырт Валери, Gergity Abisaly fyrt Valeri; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conductor and opera company di ...

, Vartan Gregorian, Lord Ara Darzi (chair),

Benjamin Ferencz Benjamin Berell Ferencz (born March 11, 1920) is an American lawyer. He was an investigator of Nazi war crimes after World War II and the chief prosecutor for the United States Army at the Einsatzgruppen Trial, one of the 12 Subsequent Nurem ...

(honorary co-chair) and George Clooney (honorary co-chair). Finalists * Mr.

Mirza Dinnayi Mirza Dinnayi ( ar, ميرزا حسن دنايي; born 1973) — Iraqi writer and Yazidi social activist, Aurora Humanitarian Award 2019 laureate. Mirza Dinnayi is known as the director and co-founder of the Luftbrücke Irak, an organization ...

* Mr. Zannah Mustapha * Ms. Huda Al-Sarari Laureate The 2019 Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was awarded to Mr.

2020 Aurora Prize

Selection Committee The members of Selection Committee of 2020 Aurora Prize are Shirin Ebadi,

, Ernesto Zedillo, Bernard Kouchner, Samantha Power,

Paul Polman Paulus Gerardus Josephus Maria Polman, (born 11 July 1956) is a Dutch businessman and author. He was the chief executive officer (CEO) of the British consumer goods company Unilever. Polman is also the author of ''Net Positive: How Courageous Co ...

, John Prendergast, Vartan Gregorian, Lord

Ara Darzi ARA may refer to: Media and the arts * American-Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences * '' Artistička Radna Akcija'', compilation album released in former Yugoslavia * Associate of the Royal Academy, denoting membership in the British Royal Acad ...

(chair),

(honorary co-chair) and

(honorary co-chair). Finalists *

and

Angélique Namaika Angélique Namaika is a Roman Catholic Augustine Sisters of Dungu and Doruma nun from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Sister Angélique has been working in the Congo since 2008 to assist women and girls who have been abused by the ...

* Sophie Beau and Klaus Vogel *

Sakena Yacoobi Sakena Yacoobi ( fa, سکینه یعقوبی) is an Afghani activist known for her work for promoting access to education for women and children. She is the founder and executive director of the women-led NGO Afghan Institute of Learning. For he ...

Laureate The 2020 Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was awarded to

and

2021 Aurora Prize

Selection Committee The members of Selection Committee of 2020 Aurora Prize are Shirin Ebadi,

, Ernesto Zedillo, Bernard Kouchner, Dele Olojede, John Prendergast, Vartan Gregorian, Lord

(chair),

(honorary co-chair) and

(honorary co-chair). Finalists *

Grégoire Ahongbonon Grégoire Ahongbonon (born 1953) founded the St Camille Association in 1994 to provide residential care for people in West Africa suffering from mental illness. Biography Ahongbonon was born in Benin and immigrated to Côte d'Ivoire. Ahongbonon wa ...

* Ruby Alba Castaño *

Paul Farmer Paul Edward Farmer (October 26, 1959 – February 21, 2022) was an American medical anthropologist and physician. Farmer held an MD and PhD from Harvard University, where he was a University Professor and the chair of the Department of Glob ...

Julienne Lusenge Julienne Lusenge is a Congolese human rights activist recognized for advocating for survivors of wartime sexual violence. She is co-founder and President of Female Solidarity for Integrated Peace and Development (SOFEPADI) and director of the Con ...

Ashwaq Moharram Ashwaq Moharram ( ar, أشواق محرم; ) is a Yemeni physician and activist, noted for her work dealing with starvation in the Yemeni city of Hudaydah. Life Moharram is married with 2 children. In 2016 after working as a doctor for twenty ye ...

Laureate The sixth annual Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was awarded to Julienne Lusenge, a human rights defender, co-founder of Women's Solidarity for Inclusive Peace and Development (SOFEPADI) and Fund for Congolese Women (FFC), who has been helping the victims of wartime sexual violence for years.

2022 Aurora Prize

Finalists *

* Hadi Jumaan *